- A woman is suing the NYPD for using her image on a wanted poster for a crime she did not commit.
- Eva Lopez, a 31-year-old social media influencer, is suing the department for $30 million, according to the lawsuit.
- The lawsuit claims the mistake has caused Lopez emotional distress.
A woman is suing the New York City Police Department for $30 million, accusing the agency of placing her photo on a wanted poster for a crime she did not commit.
Eva Lopez, 31, was informed about the poster last summer, on August 16, 2021, when her boyfriend was contacted by a friend who saw the wanted poster online, according to a lawsuit filed March 9 in Manhattan.
The NYPD poster, which said Lopez was wanted by police for grand larceny, included a photo taken from her social media page, the lawsuit said. Lopez has over 800,000 Instagram followers.
The New York Post was the first to report this story.
"The Ninth Precinct Detective Squad is attempting to identify the subject pictured above for Grand Larceny," the poster said. "August 3, 2021, the complainant's roommate did reply to an online escort advertisement and while the subject was at his apartment at 178 2nd Avenue, the subject did remove complainant's Rolex watch valued at $13,000.00 and Chase credit card without permission of authority to do so."
The wanted poster also included the contact information for NYPD Detective Kevin Dwyer, who issued the flyer and also is named in the lawsuit.
Lopez said she initially thought the poster was not real but still took it to her Instagram to clear her name. The lawsuit said that she was also contacted by friends about the alleged crime, and she had to assure them that it was fake. However, the lawsuit said, the wanted poster was sent to media outlets and ricocheted across social media.
Lopez was informed that the poster might be real and to contact authorities for confirmation, the lawsuit said. She then reached out to Dwyer, who told her he initially believed it was her because the victims connected to the case "showed them pictures of her," the lawsuit said, adding that the investigator "knew it was an issue before she called."
However, a police investigation revealed that the female suspect had an arm tattoo. The lawsuit said the poster was later removed from social media platforms and Dwyer asserted she was not involved in the crime.
"This is an unfortunate situation. It could have happened to anybody," Lopez's lawyer, Mark Shirian, told Insider in a phone interview. "The perpetrator, in this case, had a sleeve tattoo. Ms. Lopez does not have a sleeve tattoo. So they should have at least reviewed the video before disseminating this wanted sign."
The lawsuit said Lopez suffered harm as a result of the error. She told The Post that it was "really embarrassing, not only for me but for my family as well."
"Her rep is shot. People don't want to deal with her anymore. Her boyfriend's family at the time thought that she was a prostitute, and they questioned why he was with her. It's horrible," Shirian told Insider. "The damage was done here regardless of how long. We don't know how long it was up for, but it already made its rounds."
The NYPD told Insider in a statement that the department does not comment on pending litigation.